This Mother’s Day, 85 million American women will (hopefully) be enjoying a little extra appreciation and attention from their families. Among them will be a growing crop of famous celebrity mothers – from new moms like JLo, whose fraternal twins Max and Emme were born in February 2008, to veteran moms like Susan Sarandon, whose daughter Eva has already launched her own acting career.

Whether you’re a professional actress or just like to play dress-up at home with your kids, the experience of becoming a mom is a universal one that many of us can relate to. According to Danielle Friedland, expert celebrity watcher and publisher of the mega-hit Celebrity Baby Blog (celebrity-babies.com), motherhood is a life-changing event – even for the rich and famous.

“When you become a mother, you put things in perspective. You live for your child now and everything else pales in comparison,” Friedland wrote.

For many of us, including famous celebrity mothers, that new perspective changes not only how we see ourselves, but also how we view the world. In honor of that new perspective, here’s a look at five super-star mamas whose motherhood has changed their world – and inspired them to change the world around them.

#1 Angelina Jolie: Famous Mom Who Saves the World

She’s played Lara Croft, the Girl Interrupted and the gun-slinging Mrs. Smith. But actress Angelina Jolie’s favorite role is clearly the one she plays today in real life: mom to her international brood of four – and soon to be five – kids with partner Brad Pitt. (In case you’ve been living under a rock, Angie and Brad are due with #5 this summer.)

Angie, as friends call her, has traveled a long and bumpy road to motherhood – including bouts of depression and the cutting disorder, a string of failed relationships, estrangement from her father, John Voigt, and the recent death of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand. But through it all, Angie has found inspiration (not to mention public approval) in helping others. She is the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador charged with the mission of helping children in crisis around the globe.

In 2002, during a UN trip to Cambodia, Angie met, fell in love with and adopted her son Maddox, who is now big bro to two other internationally adopted sibs, Zahara (from Ethiopia) and Pax (from Vietnam), plus the couple’s first biological child, Shilo. And if Angie is to be believed, she and Brad are far from finished building their family. In fact, during a recent John Stewart Show appearance, Angie said she wants at least seven kids… and maybe as many as 14!

#2 Jenny McCarthy: From Baywatch to Capital Hill

From patrolling the beaches on Baywatch to marching on Capital Hill for autism awareness, blond bombshell Jenny McCarthy has undergone one seriously radical career change. What prompted the shift? Her son, Evan.

In Jenny’s book, Louder Than Words, the former Playmate of the Year chronicles her only child’s diagnosis with autism and opens up about her own emotional journey, including the fact that she and Evan’s father, director John Asher, split shortly after Evan was diagnosed.

Of course, this famous single mother didn’t stay single for long. Jenny found true love in funny man Jim Carey and a new starring role for herself: autism advocate. During her Louder Than Words publicity tour, Jenny shared with talk show hosts like Larry King the hardships – and hope – of raising a child with autism. She also spoke out against the current childhood vaccination schedule, which she believes played a role in the onset of Evan’s autism.

On June 4, Jenny, together with beau Jim Carey, will lead a march on Washington to focus national attention on families coping with autism – and to raise questions about the possible vaccine connection. To learn more about the rally, see TalkAboutCuringAutism.org.

#3 Julia Roberts: Earth Mama Extraordinaire

America’s sweetheartJulia Roberts has traded in her role as pretty woman for an even better one: mama to three with husband, Danny Moder. The couple have twins, Phinneas and Hazel, and younger son, Henry. Motherhood has motivated Julia to turn her back on Tinsel Town’s conspicuous consumption, searching instead for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle on her family’s ranch in New Mexico. In a December, 2007 Vanity Fair interview, Julia said that she’s working to create “less garbage in every way possible… [but as a family of five,] we make a lot of garbage. This is our plight.”

One way she’s fighting that plight is by diapering baby Henry in Gdiapers, a plastic-free, flushable diaper. Julia also buys organic food and totes it home in reusable cloth bags.

On the national level, Julia has signed up as a celebrity spokesperson for Earth Biofuels, a Texas company developing renewable energy sources like biodiesel and ethanol.

"You realize we do have a responsibility to impact in every way on our kids, the way we talk to them and the example that we offer them and the things we teach them," Julia said on the Oprah show this past Earth Day. "There's such a wealth of knowledge now that we can educate ourselves with, and it's our responsibility."

Indeed it is, Julia. Thanks for proving that sometimes it is easy being green.

#4 Brooke Shields: Model Mama

Former Blue Lagoon child star Brooke Shields now has two children of her own: Rowan and Grier. Following the birth of her first daughter, the model, actress and comedienne battled severe post-partum depression (PPD). Through medication and therapy, Brooke returned from the edge of post-partum psychosis (she was hearing voices) – the most severe form of PPD. She decided to use her celebrity status to raise awareness about the condition, which is conservatively estimated to affect 1 in 10 new mothers.

Her best-selling book Down Came the Rain candidly documents her depression and recovery. During her September 2005 book tour, Brooke set out to remove the shame often associated with PPD, telling talk-show host Oprah Winfrey that post-partum depression “has nothing to do with your love for your children...It is something that is in your body, the loss of estrogen, the amount of hormones.” She urged suffering moms to get help: “You don’t have to be miserable!”

A few days later, fellow celebrity parent Tom Cruise appeared on the Today Show, where he lambasted Brooke for her use of antidepressants (which Tom’s Scientology beliefs oppose). Brooke fought back in a searing op-ed piece in the New York Times, in which she wrote: “To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression…shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general. If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease.”

Believe it or not, Brooke has since made up with Tom, a long-time friend – and even attended his Italian wedding to Katie Holmes. No doubt about it, Brooke is definitely the model of motherhood: compassion and conviction!

#5 Jennifer Garner: The Famous Mom-Next-Door

Motherhood may be the ultimate universal experience, but with their personal trainers, entourage of nannies and million-dollar nurseries, so many famous celebrity mothers still seem like prima donnas at the playground. And then there is Jennifer Garner, the ultimate mom-next-door, whom you’d want to hang out with at the park.

Married to Ben Affleck and mother to little Violet, Jen is perhaps best recognized for her breakout role as CIA agent Sydney Bristow on the TV show Alias. But after daughter Violet’s birth, Jen focused on other priorities, including taking off the whole first year of Violet’s life to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. Now transitioning back to acting, Jen finds it challenging – a challenge many working moms can relate to.

As she told Glamour Magazine in December: “I just had a year off where I put every spoonful of food into Violet’s mouth. Now I’m working and though I’m usually with her more hours than not, some days I just can’t be. That’s hard for me, and for the first time, my daughter.”

While this down-to-earth celebrity mom can glam it up when she needs to, her day-to-day image is anything but diva. In fact, Jen is constantly snapped by the paparazzi wearing jeans and sneakers, with her hair in a ponytail and not a hint of makeup. Clearly Jen would rather spend the morning with her daughter at the library than shop with her gal pals on Rodeo Drive – and by doing just that, she’s passing on those family values to Violet. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Celebrities may have the world at their feet, but when they become moms, they’re brought to their knees just like the rest of us. They, too, fret over the world they are leaving to their children – and find inspiration in their kids to take on some pretty big causes. From modeling family values and promoting women’s health to advocating for autistic children, going green and safeguarding the world’s kids, Jennifer, Brooke, Jenny, Julia and Angelina are five famous celebrity mothers taking a stand and making a difference. Happy Mother’s Day!

Are You A Mother's Day Know-it-All?

Is there a more perfect (or competitive) way to honor moms across the country than by partaking in a little Mother's Day trivia? Surely there isn't. Whether you say Mother's Day, Muttertag, La Festa della Mamma, Mothering Sunday, Fete des Meres or Dia de las Madres, you can test your global knowledge of this heartwarming holiday by making your way through these International-themed Mother's Day trivia questions.